Hogwarts: The Making of History
by InsaniaTorn
Summary: Follow Ginny, Luna and their friend Elisabeth during their journey through Hogwarts, as the Wizarding World is rocked by the legend, Harry Potter. School life wasn't expected to be simple, but this era was unusually complicated. The fic follows cannon and all cannon pairings are included, which also includes Luna and her future husband, Rolf Scamander.
1. The Hogwarts Express

**A/N: In order to make the ages of my paring a little more compatible, I did what JK Rowling did with Hermione and Angelina, making them almost a year older than most in their year grouping. (Hermione was born in September 1979, whereas Ron and Harry were born in early/mid 1980). Therefore, Elisabeth is nearly twelve at the beginning of her first year.**

The sun shone in cheerily through the window of the compartment, illuminating the small figure that was hunched in the corner. Elisabeth Valsan knotted her fingers together nervously, staunchly hoping that no older students would pass and evict her from her makeshift sanctuary. Her tawny owl, Apollina, hooted softly in her cage, eyeing her master with intent. Elisabeth extracted an Owl Nut from her pocket and poked it though the bars. Her mind was already racing unpleasantly, wondering about her first day at Hogwarts, her new classmates, and most distressingly, whether or not any of them would like her.

Like most eleven year old girls, Elisabeth was of a short stature. On first sight, it was immediately noticeable that she was shorter than most, with a wiry, lean frame that seemed to indicate that she could grow taller in a year or two. Her dark hair was knotted into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, a parting gesture from her mother as it did the most awful things when it was out. Mrs Valsan has said that it would do no good to leave such unruly hair to its own devices and look untidy on her first day. Elisabeth agreed with her, and vaguely wondered if she would be able to recreate the bun tomorrow.

Her face was a pleasant one: childish, yet with the promise of developing nicely later on. Large, dark eyes were rimmed by lashes that framed her eyes so thickly that she always seemed to look forlorn, even when she smiled. Her brothers had never particularly kind about her features, likening her to a little doll that her parents had given to her a few years ago.

'You can't play with us, little dolly, you'll break!' Adam, her eldest brother had chided.

'Yes,' agreed Thomas, who was the next in line, 'now go have some tea like a good little girl!'

Elisabeth gave a little groan at the memory. Being the only girl amongst two much older boys was difficult. As a young child, when she was a 'good little girl', her dresses would be soundly ripped, her delicate china cups smashed, and her dolls were dismembered and made to do the most grotesque of things. When she tried to join her brothers, they could easily outrun her, push her and generally show their displeasure at her company in a pretty painful way. It was a war that couldn't have been won as far as she was concerned.

Presently, Adam had left Hogwarts, and was pursuing his studies as an Auror. Thomas was in his last year, and both brothers seemed to not mind Elisabeth in the slightest. To that point, as soon as the pair of siblings had entered the Hogwarts Express, Thomas left Elisabeth to fend for herself. That was fine with her, that is, until she found herself amongst strangers. That was when she had sought refuge in the empty compartment.

The train hissed menacingly, and jerked off from the platform, causing Apollina to shriek, and bat her wings in alarm. Elisabeth dug for another Owl Nut, just as the door of the compartment slid open. A small girl, just about Elisabeth's age came in. The most distinguishing feature about her was her crown of flaming red hair, which she tucked behind her ear as she tugged her trunk to the threshold.

'Anyone sitting here?'

'Oh, no, it's just me,' Elisabeth said nervously.

'Great. I don't want to sit with my brothers. They're being prats again.' She dragged her trunk into the compartment and left briefly to return with a smaller one.

'I'm Lizzie Valsan. You're a first year too?'

'Yeah. My name is Ginny Weasley,' Ginny smiled. She spotted the owl near the trunks, and dropped to her knees, running a finger along the soft feathers of Apollina's head.

'That's Apollina. I got her yesterday in Diagon Alley,' Elisabeth explained excitedly, 'Dad decided I needed an owl for my twelfth birthday this year.'

'I'm a little jealous,' Ginny replied, 'my brother Percy has an owl, but the only other one who has a pet is my other brother Ron. And his is a silly rat.'

'A rat? That's peculiar.'

'Yeah, his name is Scabbers. He's this fat pathetic thing that eats and sleeps all the time,' Ginny laughed, 'Ron tried to teach him tricks one time. Fred and George convinced him that they could liven him up with a potion they'd made. Ron ended up with a desk full of rat droppings when it didn't quite agree with Scabbers.'

Elisabeth giggled. 'How many brothers do you have?'

'Six,' she answered, 'I'm the youngest and the only girl.'

'Woah, and I thought I had it hard with two brothers!'

'It's not as bad as it used to be anymore,' she said, 'my oldest brothers, Charlie and Bill left home. That leaves Percy, who's good at almost everything, Fred and George who like to take the mickey out of everyone and Ron who started Hogwarts last year.'

A smiling lady passed the compartment, with a cart full of goodies. Elisabeth and Ginny hopped off of their seats and both purchased some Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

'My brothers are both older than me as well,' Elisabeth popped a bean in her mouth and grimaced. Grass flavour. 'Adam is the oldest and he's left, and Thomas is in his seventh year. They didn't like me much when I was little but they don't mind me now.'

Ginny nodded, 'Yeah, I'd follow mine to the Quidditch pitch and try to make them play with me. Oh, there's Fred now…'

The compartment door slid open, and a stocky, red haired boy entered. Elisabeth fumbled with a Chocolate Frog wrapper, feeling suddenly uneasy being around an older student.

'Have you seen ickle Ronniekins? Perfect Percy's been looking for him.'

Ginny looked thoughtful for a second. 'No, I haven't.'

'Hmm… Mum and Dad thought that he and Harry got onto the train by themselves. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Harry either.'

Ginny's face had gone almost as red as her hair, and Elisabeth looked at her, mystified. The Chocolate Frog in her hands let out a loud _ribbet_ and took a tremendous jump, slipping through her fingers. Elisabeth squealed and grabbed at it, but to no avail. Ginny's brother, Fred, caught it with a fluid motion as it made for the door.

'Pesky things, those.' Fred remarked, handing it back to her. 'Glad to see my Quidditch skills aren't rusty… should tell Wood I fancy being a Chaser.'

Elisabeth simply stared at him with her mouth slightly ajar. He withdrew from the compartment, leaving both girls looking thoroughly uncomfortable.


	2. In the Lion's Pride

'I think I'm going to throw up,' Ginny whispered nervously.

''Nother Weasley eh?' the large frame of the gamekeeper, Hagrid, loomed over the throng of first years. 'Ginny, innit? Yer brothers told me about about yeh.'

'Oh,' Ginny stared up at him, looking utterly dwarfed in comparison. Next to her, Elisabeth was even worse off.

'Nothin' ter be worried about. I expect we'll be havin' another Gryffindor, just like yer brothers.'

Professor McGonagall's stern voice called again from the top of the steps, causing Elisabeth to jump a little and clutch at Ginny's arm. Her new found friend gave her a tense, but reassuring squeeze as they advanced towards the large double doors of the Great Hall.

Students lined the magnificent room, all separated onto four tables. The ethereal sky masking the ceiling of the Hall was a calm, midnight blue, dotted with the soft imprints of stars and garnished with feathery clouds. Hovering just beneath were rows of floating candles, bathing the Hall in light. They were all walking towards the staff table, lined with teachers, some austere looking, and some smiling. A stool was placed before them, and upon it was an old, ragged looking hat. Professor McGonagall stiffly stepped on to the platform, holding a rolled up ream of parchment. Elisabeth half expected her to begin speaking, however, a large rip opened in the front of the nondescript hat, and it began to sing in a sly, booming voice.

'_Once upon a long time ago,_

_A great wizard plucked a hat from his head_

_And yours truly came to be!_

_My dears, I am the Sorting Hat_

_The most sentient clothing you shall see!_

_I was grown from the wishes of four,_

_To judge the worth of many,_

_The task is mine to take you all,_

_To be placed as I see fit!_

_Don't think I take this lightly,_

_For it is my sole purpose,_

_Where your heart lies,_

_I shall decide!_

_It may be in Gryffindor,_

_Where courage is held steadfast,_

_Their hearts are strong, their will is stronger,_

_And greater friends you shall never find!_

_Your lot may fall to Hufflepuff,_

_The true keepers of a kind heart,_

_Home of hard work, loyalty and chivalry,_

_You shall never be left behind;_

_Or perhaps you are a Slytherin,_

_Where you shall find the most valuable friends,_

_Their cunning, their ambition is par for the course,_

_You will be sure to rise in kind!_

_But maybe you are a Ravenclaw,_

_Whose merits are in their head,_

_Their wit, their wiles are hard to defy,_

_Their treasure is their stout mind;_

_So step up to the fore,_

_And let me implore, and see where you shall be!_

_Don't be concerned, it won't hurt._

_It'll just be you and me;_

_So first in line, let's not waste time,_

_Let the Sorting begin!'_

The entire Hall erupted into roaring applause, while the first years all stood, feeling rather too scared to move. The Professor unrolled the parchment and straightened her glasses.

'When your name is called, you shall step up to the stool and place the hat on to be sorted,' she explained. 'Abernathy, Jacob!'

The small boy at the far end of the group detached himself from the crowd and made his way up to the stool and shaky legs. The hat barely touched his head, before the great mouth opened again and called:

'HUFFLEPUFF!'

The yellow and black swathed table all jumped to their feet and began to applaud and scream. Jacob teetered his way over where he was clapped on the back and welcomed warmly by his housemates.

'Adams, Kimberly!'

The hat took a tad longer this time, before the call came.

'GRYFFINDOR!'

The gold and crimson table roared, possibly louder than the Hufflepuffs did. Elisabeth spotted Ginny's family, the brother who was in the compartment earlier, Fred, and his twin who were loudly catcalling. Further down the table, Thomas was enthusiastically applauding as well. He caught her eye and waved. All she could do was nod.

'Bryce, Carlisle!'

'SLYTHERIN!'

'Creevey, Colin!'

'GRYFFINDOR!'

'Lovegood, Luna!'

'RAVENCLAW!'

So it went, until the professor called out for 'Weasley, Ginevra!'

Ginny looked positively ill as she stepped towards the stool, and she placed the hat gingerly onto her head. It didn't even pause, it simply opened at once and roared:

'GRYFFINDOR!'

Elisabeth could almost hear the Weasley twins' catcalls over the din. She smiled encouragingly at Ginny as she passed, to take a seat next to her family.

Finally, as when she and another boy were the only ones left, her time came.

'Valsan, Elisabeth!'

Elisabeth swallowed loudly, and stepped up to the stool. The hat was rather large for her, and it almost fell over her eyes. She waited tensely for a second, hoping that it would at least say something.

'Ah, I know a mind like yours well, potential abound, maybe a too shy to use it all. A little uneasy, are we?' the hat hissed into her ear.

'Yes, a little,' Elisabeth whispered.

'Hmmm… well, you've got some smarts in here lass. Quite a sharp mind… good makings of a Ravenclaw… but I see a little something that makes me think…'

The hat's pause almost made her heart stop beating.

'GRYFFINDOR!'

Elisabeth almost fell off of the stool in relief. She stumbled off of the stage, and walked to the cheering table. Ginny grabbed her by the arm before she could pass, and squashed her in the tiny space next to her and one of the twins.

There was a muffled crunch from outside, and a few students looked around. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly, and called for 'Xavier, Renee' to be sorted.

As the hat called 'SLYTHERIN', there was another, more muted crunch. Ginny and Elisabeth looked at each other. A sallow, hook nosed professor whispered something to the wizened Professor Dumbledore (whom, as Elisabeth found, was far less intimidating looking than his Chocolate Frog card) and left the Hall.

One of the twins leaned over to the group, 'People are going on about a flying car coming this way. Ron and Harry aren't here… you don't reckon?'

A bushy haired girl on the opposite side of the table looked positively enraged. 'They _can't_ be that stupid!'

Another Weasley brother, one with horn-rimmed glasses turned to her and commented, 'Hermione, I think you just might find they are. When I get my hands on them…'

'They could get hurt,' Ginny groaned. Seeing the confused look on Elisabeth's face, she drew closer to explain. 'Ron, my brother and his friend Harry (here, Ginny turned a flamboyant shade of red that alarmed Elisabeth) weren't on the train. Mum and Dad have a flying Ford Anglia… they can't have taken it… I mean that's nuts.'

'Harry? As in Harry Potter?' Elisabeth asked, dumbstruck. She'd heard from her brothers that the legendary young wizard was a Gryffindor as well.

'Yeah,' she said in a dreamy fashion. Elisabeth stared.

'You fancy him?'

Ginny's ears went red and she made a 'be quiet' gesture with her hand. 'Well…I suppose…'

Silence fell upon the Hall as Dumbledore stood, and the two girls stopped speaking to look up at him. He was beaming, and looked rather like he had woken up on Christmas to find that he'd gotten everything that he could have asked for.

'Welcome!' he called enthusiastically, 'Welcome to yet another year at Hogwarts! As I know you are all starving and ready for the feast, I shall keep this short: Knit On! Purl On! and Cast On!'

Ginny and Elisabeth giggled, both clapping loudly as the plates before them began to fill to the brim with food. Elisabeth piled her plate with roast beef, roast potatoes and a heavy helping of gravy. Next to her, Ginny was similarly engaged, but she was struck between eating, and swivelling her head at a very painful angle to stare at the entrance to the Hall.

'You were in the compartment with Ginny,' Fred looked over at her, as if noticing that she was beside him for the first time. He struggled to extract an arm and offered it in a very awkward position. She laughed and shook his hand briefly. 'Fred Weasley.'

'Nd ighm Feorguh.' The other twin said thickly, his mouth crammed with food.

Fred snorted, 'That's George. Obviously as you can see, I came out with the good looks.'

George swallowed his mouthful in one, 'Prat.'

'Git. Can't you see I'm speaking?' Fred continued in a mock scandalised tone, 'I can't take you anywhere can I?' he turned back to her and gave a theatrical roll of his eyes, 'So where were we? Elisabeth, right?'

'Lizzie,' she said shyly, 'my brothers took to calling me that.'

'Lizzie,' Fred said, 'cute. Fancy a tart Lizzie?'

The food before them had vanished, replaced with assorted cakes, ice creams, pies and anything else that seemed to be sweet.

Elisabeth felt herself go a little pink, 'Treacle, please.'

Fred pulled a tart off of his twin's plate and deposited it on hers, earning him a stiff thump on the head.

George pulled at Fred's ear, pulling his head backwards in the process. 'Think those two did it though? Stole the car? Little gits didn't even let us in on it!'

Fred smacked his way free and sighed, 'Think of the fun that would've been!'

Elisabeth nibbled the tart absently, feeling slightly jumpy. Next to her, ice cream was steadily dripping onto Ginny's lap from a suspended spoon, as she continued to stare at the doors. The brother in the horn rimmed glasses, Percy, chided her lightly and took the bowl of melted desert away.

Dumbledore rose again, and the talking ceased almost at once. The plates cleared, the remnants melting away into nothingness.

'Now that we're all a little less conducive to listening, I have a few announcements to make: Firstly, I remind all students that the Forbidden Forest is forbidden (there was a collective chortle), and that applies to all students. Mr Filch has asked me to remind students that no magic is to be used between classes on the corridors, and Quidditch trials are expected to be held at the leisure of the team captains, around two weeks from now. With that,' he drew his wand, 'let us serenade ourselves before bed with a hearty rendition of our school song! Pick your own tune, and let us begin!'

There was a collective intake of breath, before the song began, as the lyrics were conjured into the air by Dumbledore.

'_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, _

_Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, _

_Teach us something, please, _

_Whether we be old and bald _

_Or young with scabby knees, _

_Our heads could do with filling _

_With some interesting stuff, _

_For now they're bare and full of air, _

_Dead flies and bits of fluff, _

_So teach us things worth knowing, _

_Bring back what we've forgot, _

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest, _

_And learn until our brains all rot.'_

Elisabeth and Ginny were clutching each other by the end of the song, doubled over in laughter as the twins sang arm in arm, providing an operatic rendition of the piece, alternating in ear-piercingly shrill and low tones.

'Splendid, splendid,' Dumbledore said with a chuckle. 'A performance to best last year's to be sure! Now, off to bed with you all, before you fall asleep where you stand!'

Ginny and Elisabeth followed Percy through the winding halls of the castle, up flights of stairs and past countless doors. Elisabeth dragged her feet tiredly, thinking of a nice, warm bed. Suddenly, they came to a halt at a portrait of a large woman in a frilly pink dress.

'Password?' she asked.

'Wattlebird,' said Percy confidently. The portrait swung forward, revealing the entrance to a large room, illuminated by a large fireplace. The room looked cosy enough, and it was filled with large, faded armchairs.

As they filed in, Percy explained how the dormitories were laid out, 'Girls, you're through the door to the right. Boys, you're through the left. Now, I'd assume you're all very sleepy so-'

The portrait opened, and a black boy with dreadlocks almost fell over himself to get in.

'Lee? What's the matter?' Hermione asked, alarmed.

'It's true, it's true! Harry and Ron flew a car into the grounds! Crashed into the Whomping Willow and everything!'

The common room was filled with chatter at once.

'Were they expelled? You have to be expelled for something like that, right?'

'Did they even survive? That tree is dangerous!'

'Well, Lee, where are they?'

Ginny looked almost deranged and accosted Percy at once, 'They can't have been expelled, can they?'

Percy looked down at her, unsure of what to say, 'I'm sure that Professor Dumbledore will do what he has to but… Hermione!' he broke off, glaring at the portrait hole, which had opened again. 'Where do you think you're going? I say, come back…' the door had shut.

'I take it we're not going to bed?' Elisabeth stared at the crowd in awe.

Ginny simply sat on an armchair, looking tense.


End file.
